Japanese Driver Sparks Outrage With Smoky Donuts In World Time Attack Pit Lane

Yuuki Kamakura of Japan achieved his dream goal at Saturday’s World Time Attack Challenge for GCG Turbochargers Open Class at Sydney Motorsport Park. Behind the wheel of his 600-horsepower, 2.6-liter naturally aspirated 26B 4-rotor Mazda RX-7 FD, he clocked a lap time of 1:31.34.

Ecstatic with the result, Kamakura returned to the pits to the sight of his cheering teammates. With the cameras rolling, they clearly all expected him to celebrate in style, but what they might not have anticipated was the extent of what ensued.

Getting a little too excited, Yuuki kicked the quad-rotor FD‘s clutch and let the rotary engine scream as he proceeded to pull off several smoky donuts.

While it admittedly looked (and sounded) awesome, it’s, uhh, probably not the best place to keep the organizers of such a huge event happy.

Any motorsport fan will know that the pits are where you’re meant to be safest at a racetrack, and even (most) drifters wouldn’t dare do this as they know it’ll result in instant repercussions.

Unsurprisingly, this outcome was no exception, and Kamakura was immediately disqualified from the 2025 World Time Attack Challenge, missing out on the proceeding shootout.

Yuuki’s main sponsor, Hardtuned, backed the driver on Instagram, stating:

“What everyone doesn’t see – how much that lap meant to Yuuki and his team

“Yuuki’s first time in Australia he had set a goal to get 1.31 all weekend.

“The team worked tirelessly all weekend to get the car dialed in, and the raw emotion and happiness at the end of it is unexplainable.”

Following backlash on social media, the post has now been removed. Instead, replaced with a new post that starts with, “Let’s bring some positivity to the crazy weekend that was – World Time Attack Challenge!”

World Time Attack Challenge (WTAC) rolled out an official statement regarding the incident shortly after, stating:

“World Time Attack Challenge (WTAC) wishes to address the unacceptable and extremely dangerous conduct of competitor Yuuki Kamakura (Japan) during the 2025 WTAC event.

“WTAC are deeply disappointed by Mr. Kamakura’s actions in the pit lane.

“His deliberate decision to perform “donuts” in a restricted area was not only a serious breach of our fundamental safety policies, but it also placed lives at risk — including officials, team members, fellow competitors, and spectators.”

They also ensured there’s no ‘confusion’ with international competitors, which could allow for similar scenarios in the future, stating:

“There is now a plan in place for international competitor conduct in Australia. All international competitors will be given this form to ensure they understand all Australian motorsport regulations.”

The incident remains on the team’s official YouTube, along with a recent comment, seemingly from Yuuki himself, now that the reality of the situation has kicked in:

“I would like to sincerely apologize for committing a rule violation due to my inappropriate actions during the FIA World Championship.

“This violation was entirely the result of my own lack of awareness and poor judgment. I deeply regret having caused significant trouble and concern to my team members, the event organizers, our sponsors, and all the fans who support us.

“Moving forward, I will thoroughly review and understand the regulations, uphold my responsibility and awareness as a driver, and take every measure to prevent a recurrence so that such a mistake will never be repeated.”

It’s clear to see how much it meant to him, but it’s also a shame to see him disqualified after achieving such an impressive time. Let’s face it, though – pit donuts are never gonna go down well, no matter the scale of the event, let alone at WTAC.

Some commentators have speculated that had he attempted this in his homeland, Japan, the incident might have even led to prosecution. Thankfully, this slap on the wrist is a better outcome!